By Kent Mensah

The Porcupine Warriors scored four goals in the first half and an extra three after the interval to send the Equatoguineans leaving quite depressed

Kumasi Asante Kotoko run amok in their first leg preliminary round game of the Caf Champions League when they unleashed seven goals on visiting Sony Ela Enguema.

The Equatoguineans paid dearly for playing on a high line throughout the game allowing the Porcupine Warriors to pile the pressure on its guardsmen and goalkeeper. Kotoko’s first goal came from Kofi Nti Boakye, then Yusif Aziz doubled it with his debut goal before Michael Anaba made it three and the fourth coming from Michael Helegbe to go into the interval.

After the break, Richard Mpong added his name to the score sheet before substitute Seydou Bancey made it six. Just when all thought that was the final nail on the coffin for the visitors, Ugandan defender Joseph Ochaya wrapped the goals scoring galore with the seventh to send the Baba Yara Sports Stadium on wild jamboree.

The Ghana Premier League defending champions could have banged in close to 10 goals but misspent a lot of chances that came begging in both halves with the upright saving the visitors at some point.

However, Boakye was on hand to open the floodgates for the hosts in the 13th minute when he beautifully controlled the ball with his chest, found his position and headed it past the opposing goalkeeper. Chance after chance kept knocking at the former Africa champions and even at a point a player failed to tap the ball into an empty post.

As the game wore on, it was evidently clear that the Kumasi-based club will not rue over their woefully wasted chances with Aziz doubling their lead with a superb diving header to record his first goal for coach Mas-Ud Didi Dramani’s side. A defensive blunder cost the visiting side with Anaba capitalising on that to triple the goals of the Fabulous team and that was not the end of the goal scoring streak. Helegbe slot in from a distance with a brilliant strike to beat the last line of defence to make it four before the break.

The Malabo-based club returned from the interval maintaining the same high line strategy that kept haunting them. The chances continued in the second half for Kotoko. Mpong added to the joy in Kumasi with substitute Bancey making it six after a brilliant build-up between him and Helegbe. But just when all thought the annihilation had come to an end, Ugandan-import Ochaya delightfully crossed from the right and the ball landed straight into the post to seal their goal scoring riot.

The Porcupine Warriors have placed themselves in a pole position to move on to the next stage of the competition after such an impressive performance, and have little to do when they travel to Equatorial Guinea for the return leg in two weeks.